Wisconsin Voter Photo ID: Legislative History and Background

About This Page

This page contains historical information about passage and implementation of the photo ID law.

Consistent with its statutory responsibility to administer and enforce the State’s election laws, the Government Accountability Board provided information and expertise to inform the policy discussion, and to identify issues that needed to be addressed at the State and local levels in the practical implementation of a photo ID requirement.

Following is a listing of all introduced legislation related to voter identification requirements since the 1999-2000 legislative session. Except where indicated, the bill failed to pass both the Assembly and the Senate.

1999-2000 Session

Professors Barry C. Burden, David T. Canon, Kenneth R. Mayer and Donald P. Moynihan of the UW-Madison Department of Political Science and La Follette School of Public Affairs have researched voter identification laws.

Attached below is their brief summary of what is known from academic research on voter ID laws in other states.

Core Principles for Voter Photo ID

The Government Accountability Board staff recommends the following core principles be considered for guiding the development of Wisconsin’s Voter Photo ID legislation. The Photo ID legislation should:

Make clear the purpose and legislative intent of the legislation;

Ensure the most vulnerable (non-traditional) voters are not disenfranchised;

Make Photo IDs free and accessible to voters;

Offer an alternative (a certificate or an affidavit in lieu of a Photo ID) for Wisconsin residents who object to being photographed based on religious, historical or cultural grounds, i.e. Native Americans; and,

Provide a sufficient amount of time between passage of the Photo ID legislation and effective implementation date to accommodate training of local election officials and educating the public.